The present invention relates to a refrigeration chiller, and more specifically, to an apparatus for recovering lubricant and ensuring high viscosity lubricant for a refrigerant compressor.
The compressor is typically provided with lubricant, such as oil, which is utilized to lubricate bearing and other running surfaces. The lubricant mixes with refrigerant, such that the refrigerant leaving the compressor includes a quantity of lubricant. This is somewhat undesirable, as in the closed refrigerant system, it can sometimes become difficult to maintain an adequate supply of lubricant to lubricate the compressor surfaces. In the past, lubricant separators have been utilized immediately downstream of the compressor. While lubricant separators do separate the lubricant, they have not always provided fully satisfactory results. As an example, the lubricant removed from such a separator will be at a high pressure, and may have an appreciable amount of refrigerant still mixed in with the lubricant. This lowers the viscosity of the lubricant. The use of a separator can also cause a pressure drop in the compressed refrigerant, which is also undesirable.